Alien Invasion
by Nikira
Summary: Dick Grayson is 15 and still Robin. Bruce is out of town for the weekend and it's up to Robin to handle the city by himself. A task he feels is too easy, unaware of the danger lurking that brings a mysterious girl to Gotham. NEW CHAPTER ADDED!
1. The Arrival

**ALIEN INVASION**   
Part 1 

"Wipe your mouth!" the angry mother said, taking a napkin to her child's face, "You'd think you didn't know how to eat!"   
"Eat! Eat!" the child squealed, slamming its small fists on the table of the baby chair.   
"I can't take you anywhere," she said shaking her head, "Are you ready to go?" she asked, turning to her husband.   
"Yeah," he said nodding, motioning for the waiter.   
Rosalyn Terlucci looked around the scenery of the Café Ristro, the outdoor restaurant overlooking the Gotham River. She wiped the last of the mess from her child and prepared her for the car.   
"Why don't we take a walk," Rosalyn suggested to her husband, "To calm the baby down." 

"This was a good idea," her husband said, putting his arm around her as she pushed the stroller.   
"Wasn't it?" she agreed smiling, "It's such a nice day out today."   
They passed by a newsstand and their daughter grabbed at one of the flashy magazine covers. Rosalyn went to dislodge the magazine from her child's grasp.   
"Look at this," her husband said scoffing, "Alien sighted on the shores of the beach. Some people will do anything to sell magazines."   
"That's nice," she said absent-mindedly settling the baby back in the stroller.   
They continued to walk on, passing the bridge.   
"You know I heard that the bridge over on the East side collapsed yesterday."   
"Really?"   
"It was a freak accident, no one knows what happened. They-," he stopped, his eyes transfixed to the sky, "What is that?"   
Rosalyn followed her husband's gaze to the bright light in the sky, "A plane maybe?"   
"It's too big for that," he said, shielding his eyes as the light got brighter. Suddenly there was a flash, blinding everyone who was either looking at the sky or in the vicinity.   
"Ahh!" Rosalyn heard her husband shout.   
She rubbed at her eyes and her vision returned. The bright light was gone and the next thing she saw was someone falling into the river.   
"Oh my God!" Rosalyn exclaimed.   
The splash disrupted the serene flow of the water, bubbling, rippling and foaming in response to the angry intrusion. As the crowd scurried about volunteering to jump in or calling the police, the water quickly reverted back to its calm state, showing no signs of the person who had upset it. 

Dick Grayson walked into stately Wayne Manor, empty Wayne Manor. When he was younger and had first taken up residence in the large estate, the house had always seemed empty, especially when Bruce wasn't there. Now, Bruce was gone, and felt a certain degree of dangerous freedom. He had the whole mansion to himself and most importantly, he had all of Gotham. He ran into the kitchen to get a snack and to talk to the only other person in the house.   
"Alfred! Alfred, are you here?" he shouted loudly even before entering the kitchen. His only response was silence. He shrugged, figuring that Alfred was at the store. He decided to test his new fleeting freedom by raiding the refrigerator, something Alfred would never let him do, so close to dinnertime. He opened the fridge door and spied the leftover chocolate cake left over from last night's dinner. A perfect snack for a growing teen. He brought out the cake and got a fork, no need for a plate.   
"And just what do you think you're doing, young man?" a familiar stern voice said just as Dick was about to take the first bite.   
"Uh…having a snack?" he said, putting down the fork in an unconscious surrender.   
"Not in this house," Alfred said, taking the cake and returning it to the fridge, "Have you even started your homework?"   
"It's Friday!" he protested. So much for being free.   
"Nevertheless," Alfred continued, "I won't have you dallying about like a reprobate when you can be doing something useful with your time. What would Master Bruce say?"   
Dick sighed, he'd learn to pick his battles and he figured it was just easier to go along with Alfred than to fight back, "What useful something did you have in mind?" he asked.   
"I need to go to the store in-"   
Dick groaned loudly. Going food shopping with Alfred had to be one of the most painful experiences, second only to going clothes shopping.   
"And then after that," Alfred continued pointedly, "You have the rest of the night to yourself."   
Dick raised his eyebrows questioningly.   
"You're a young lad now," Alfred said in response to his expression, "You don't need a baby-sitter all of the time."   
Dick smiled triumphantly, maybe this would be a good weekend after all. 

Swimming farther away from the voices and the concerned faces, she looked frantically around for a place to surface. She could hold her breath for quite a while but not as long as this. There were too many people. Finally, just as her lungs felt like they were about to explode, she came to a sheltered spot under the bridge. Quickly swimming to the surface, she gasped and swallowed the air, taking it in hungrily. She could still hear the voices, talking about her. At least people cared, but right now she needed them to go away. If she could only transport herself out of there, but that risked being seen. She looked around, she would just have to do it the old fashioned way. She swam out from under the bridge, away from the crowd and pulled herself unto the ground.   
"Hey, what are you doing in there?" a man asked from the bridge, "This isn't the YMCA."   
She shrugged and climbed up the hill. It was time to get to work. 

"Why are you wet?" a little girl asked the stranger sitting next to her on the bench, "Did you go swimming or something?"   
The wet stranger smiled and nodded, spilling the water out of the boots. She got up from the bench waving good-bye to the girl. She couldn't help but notice the looks she got from passerbys, she'd have to blend in with everyone else. She looked down at her clothes. That probably meant finding something more normal to wear. It was weird that she had to learn how to blend back with Earthlings. It was weird that she called them Earthlings, she was once one of them. She looked around for a shop or boutique. It had been a while since she'd been shopping, she was eager to see the latest fashions. Thankfully, from the clothes of the people she'd seen walking around, sweatbands had gone out of style. She slapped her forehead, she'd almost forgotten to check the date. She didn't even know what year it was anymore. Clothes first, time later. She looked around the streets and found an alley.   
"Remember the cat poster," she said out loud to herself, looking at the Gotham Cat Show ad on the wall. 

"Can I help you?" a saleswoman asked.   
The girl shook her head but smiled. She waited until the saleswoman moved on before picking out clothes to wear. She'd need shoes too. Rifling through the blouses and t-shirts, jeans and skirts made her feel like a kid again, a real kid, how she used to be. She took the final selection into the dressing room and tried it on, admiring herself in the mirror. It was nice to see herself in something other than the usual blue or black gear. She folded up her old, wet clothing, boots and tools and put them in the backpack she had taken as well. If she had money, she would pay, but she didn't and there were more important things to worry about right now. She closed her eyes and concentrated, picturing the alley with the cat poster on the wall. She felt herself becoming lightheaded.   
"Miss, are you okay in there?" a saleswoman asked, knocking lightly on the dressing room door, "Miss?"   
She leaned over and looked at the floor in the dressing room, not seeing any feet.   
"What?" she said out loud, confused. She had seen the girl go inside and was sure that she hadn't come out yet. She opened the door to the dressing room.   
"What's wrong, Patty?" a co-worker asked, as she passed by.   
"Uh…nothing," she said, closing the door, "I just looking to see if someone was in here." 

The lightheaded feeling faded as she felt the asphalt under her the soles of her shoes. She looked around the alley, no one had seen. She smiled, dusting off her new jeans and walked out. 

Dick sighed for the umpteenth time watching Alfred decide whether he should buy one-percent or two-percent milk.   
"Why don't you put yourself to use and help," Alfred said, noticing the young boy's boredom, "Here," he ripped the list in half, giving Dick one piece.   
Dick smiled, "I'll be done in no time," he said, racing off.   
Alfred merely shook his head after him. 

She looked around, heading for the newsstand on the street. There was so much that she wanted to do before she had to leave. It was her first time back, she wanted to see her friends, watch TV and eat junk food. All the things she missed. She picked up a newspaper checking the date.   
_Three years_, she thought, _I've been gone for three years. I wonder if anyone is still looking for me? Hey, I'm fourteen! I can get my permit soon!_   
She frowned realizing that probably wouldn't be happening.   
"Hey are you paying for that?" the vendor asked.   
She shook her head and put the paper down. A heading from a magazine caught her eye. She picked it up. They were already here. 

Dick picked out the brand name of detergent Alfred had written on the list. He was almost done. Soon he'd be free and have the whole night to himself. The night was calling to him-to Robin- and he would answer, but this time, solo. He looked down at the list, he still had work to do. 

Okay, I'll just grab a small snack and then go to the beach. If I still remember where it is. Just a quick junk food trip in the supermarket, she thought giddily walking up and down the aisles of the store. She stopped when she got to the candy section, her eyes growing wide with excitement. She filled her basket with her favorite confections. She looked around surreptitiously and then opened a bag of M&Ms, her childhood favorite. She frowned when half of it spilled on the floor. 

Dick walked past the aisles, looking for the last item on his list. He stopped walking when his eyes caught sight of running around the candy aisle like a little kid. Her face lit up with every bag of candy she put in her basket. Her smile only seemed to make her more beautiful. He instinctively ducked behind the aisle when he saw her turn to him. He didn't want her to know that he was staring at her. She looked around and then tore into a bag of M&Ms, spilling them all over the floor. She covered her mouth once she realized what she had done and began kicking the fallen candies under the aisles. He laughed and she looked up.   
_Oops.___

She looked at the boy who had see what she had done.   
_Smooth moves_, she berated herself.   
She smiled turned around.   
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, walking up to her, "I wasn't making fun of you or anything."   
She shook her head and smiled.   
"You just made me laugh."   
She nodded and offered him the half empty bag of candy.   
"No thanks," he said smiling.   
She shrugged and popped a few in her mouth, waving good-bye.   
"Wait!" he called as she left.   
She turned around.   
"Uh…," he tried to think of something to say, "Um…do you know where the cereal aisle is?"   
She shrugged and smiled apologetically before leaving.   
Dick hit himself on the head, "Real smooth, Romeo." 

She walked out of the alley and looked around. Now she needed to find some way to get to the beach. Without money. She quickly stuffed the food into her bag and made her way towards the cabs at the curb, waving to the boy she had met in the supermarket along the way. 

"We could have been done earlier if you hadn't taken so long to get your half of the list," Alfred said, loading the groceries into the car, "What took you so long?"   
He saw a pretty young girl pass by them and wave at Dick.   
"I see," he said smiling.   
Dick waved back but she was already on her way to a cab. He looked on after her wondering who she was. There was something about her. 

"Where to?" the cab driver asked.   
She opened her mouth but stopped and frowned.   
"Where to?" he asked more insistently.   
She scratched her head, looking around.   
"Hello!" he said, "Are you deaf?"   
She shook her head and started making swimming motions.   
"What? Swimming? You want to go to the pool?" he asked.   
She shook her head and spread her arms out wide.   
"A big pool?"   
She nodded and spread her arms out even wider.   
"What? The ocean?"   
She nodded emphatically and clapped her heads.   
"You want to go to the beach," he said. She nodded and gave him a thumbs up.   
He turned back and shook his head, "Damn kids, got me playing charades," he muttered, starting the meter. 

"Hey! Hey! You little punk!" the cab driver screamed as she ran from the car, "Give me my money!" Before he was done yelling, she was out of sight. "Damn high school track," he muttered, starting the car again, "If I ever see her again…"   
She looked at the watch she had "borrowed" from a jewelry store. It was getting dark, perfect time for them to come out. She looked around the beach. Everywhere was open air, it was unlikely that they would be on the beach. She looked up at the boardwalk. The crowd was thinning out.   
_That's the best to look._

It had been a slow night. A few muggings, an attempted break-in. Nothing challenging. He'd handled them easily. You would think with the Batman out of town, the big time criminals would take center stage but most of them were locked up and Gotham had been relatively quiet, for Gotham that is. He adjusted the tiny radio police scanner on his belt as a police call came in. Something about explosions on the boardwalk. He doubled his speed, it looked like the night was picking up after all. 

She tumbled out of the way as the shop collapsed and quickly got back on her feet. She looked around frantically. Whatever it was, was gone. She hadn't seen what it but she knew it was there. She could feel it. She walked down the boardwalk slowly, listening for any slight movement. She stopped and turned around, facing a young couple wearing tourist shirts.   
"You surprise us," the man smiling said, "You look just like one of them. Humans? Is that what they are called?"   
The girl just stared at them.   
"We find it hard to believe that you are a Guardian," the woman said, "You are very small."   
"Why doesn't the great one speak?" the man asked, "Is she scared? No, that can't be it. The omnipotent all-seeing Guardians scared of a simple beings like us?"   
"Oh," the woman said, smiling, "I see, it must be that old universal rule, to hear the voice of a Guardian is to ensure one's death. So if she isn't speaking that must mean that she won't kill us. Maybe she isn't the Guardian."   
"No," the man said, "It is she. I can smell it. There must be some other reason why she isn't trying to kill us. Wait…of course. You can't kill us like this. In these," he pulled at his skin, "Humans. She wants to protect the innocent."   
"But she has to kill us," the woman said smirking, "Isn't that a predicament."   
The girl smiled, took off her backpack and set it down, dumping all of the contents. She picked up the empty bag and disappeared.   
"Well that was highly disappointing," the man said before wailing and falling to the floor. The woman turned around and saw the girl holding a wet bag. She looked down at her companion who was soaked and heaving on the ground. The girl stepped back as the amorphous mucous like blob seeped out of the man's ear.   
"So you are the Guardian," it said in its own language.   
She held out her hand and sent a blast of energy towards the blob, sending it flying back, hitting a stand of a nearby shop, causing it to shake but stay relatively stable. The woman watched in horror as the girl disappeared and then reappeared right in front of her unmasked companion.   
"Yes and I'm speaking now," the girl said, holding out her hand just inches away from the quivering blob, "But I don't think you want to hear what I have to say."   
"Wait!" the woman shouted, "Let go or else I will shut off every vital function in this body," she threatened.   
The girl looked at her.   
"I don't need a this body to survive," the woman reminded her.   
The girl shrugged and blasted the blob into oblivion.   
"But you do need those legs to run," she said walking over to her.   
The woman looked around frantically before running into the maze of shops with the girl not far behind. The extra energy she gave the human body came in handy as outran the girl, losing sight of her. She stopped running, breathing heavily, she needed hydration quickly, the body was running out of water. She saw the girl looking for her and looked up at the roof. If she could push the post down, the whole roof would collapse. 

The girl looked around. She'd lost her. Hopefully she was still on the boardwalk, she couldn't let her go now. Not after it'd heard her speak. She heard a faint creaking sound and looked up, and saw a leg, blasting at it but missing. Sawdust fell on her as the post began to break.   
_That was smart._   
She ran out of the store to get a better shot and saw the woman on top of the roof with a boy in a mask and cape. 

"I don't know what you're trying to do but-"   
"Leave me alone boy!" the woman shouted, "You don't know who you're dealing with."   
"I'm thinking a crazy lady on a roof who might have something to do with an explosion here," he said.   
"Are you one of them too?" she asked.   
"One of who?"   
The woman lunged for him and he dodged her attack, flipping over her easily and gracefully. He glanced down and saw a girl standing there and watching them. Catching him off guard, the woman punched him in the back, grabbing hold of him before he fell.   
"You are too weak to be of any concern to me," she said, squeezing her hold on his neck. She threw him off the roof and he fell unto the planks of the boardwalk, rolling on to sand. The girl ran to the store and jumped unto the roof facing down the woman.   
"What are you doing on this planet?" she asked.   
"You should know, you are the reason we are here."   
"You're all here?"   
"Enough," the woman said, "To start anew."   
"Not here you won't," the girl said. They both stopped moving as the store collapsed below them. The girl quickly jumped off, forgetting her opponent for now, and fell to the ground. She looked up in time to see the roof coming down at her before blacking out.   



	2. The Revelation

ai2 **ALIEN INVASION: PART 2**   


Robin looked around the ruined boardwalk, whoever that woman was, she was gone now. He looked down at the unconscious girl, he had bigger problems to deal with anyway.   
"Hey, can you hear me?" he asked again, brushing her hair away from her cuts and bruises.   
The girl stirred and Robin sighed with relief. He could hear the sirens approaching in the background.   
"Stay still," he said to her, "Help's on the way."   
Her eyes flew open and made contact with his. Before he could realize what was happening, she had him lying flat on his back.   
"I see you're not a very trusting person," he said, raising his pounding head.   
She backed away silently before she turned and fled down the hill towards the water.   
Dick slowly got up, his head still swimming from the blow the girl delivered to him. She was gone, the woman on the roof was gone, the boardwalk was destroyed and he'd basically screwed up.   


Dick came down the stairs, still dejected over the last night's events.   
"Alfred?" he asked the butler upon seeing him in the kitchen, "How come you let me sleep in late this morning?"   
Alfred took out a carton of juice from the refrigerator, "It is a weekend after all, Master Dick."   
"True," he said slowly, "I guess I just wanted to on top of things today."   
"Well I see you've had a busy night."   
"Huh?"   
Alfred handed him the paper. Dick scanned it quickly.   
"The destruction of the boardwalk," he said slowly, "I was there but…I just saw one woman, she was strong. From what it says in the paper, she might have been single-handedly responsible for it. But why?"   
"It says she died of severe dehydration," Alfred said, "There was another man on the docks too and he was dehydrated as well."   
"That's weird," Dick said, "Say Alfred, hasn't there been reports of similar cases like this. People suffering from severe dehydration."   
"I believe so, over the last few days," he said.   
Dick mulled over his thoughts, "I think I'll hit the beach today." 

"Hey kid, you'll have to back up," a police officer said, "This is a crime scene."   
She looked over the scene one final time and walked away, heading towards the beach. They couldn't have gotten far. Not without a ship and not without a body to transport them. They had to be somewhere in the area and she would find them, destroy them and leave. That easy. She looked around the beach, there were way too many people in the water on the sand. And it was too close to the ocean, they wouldn't be there. They'd be somewhere dark and dank. Somewhere like a cave. She surveyed the area and saw a cliff of jagged rocks. If she remembered correctly, there were caves on the other side. She could drop down if she went up top. She climbed back up to the boardwalk. 

Dick looked around, the police had already quarantined the area. He would have to sneak in. His attention was diverted when he saw a girl climb up from the beach.   
_Pay attention, Dick_, he reprimanded himself, _You're investigating, now isn't the time to chase after a pretty girl._   
She headed over in the direction of the rocky cliff.   
_A pretty girl in danger, on the other hand_, he thought running after her. 

Once she got to the cliff, she leaned over to look down, checking out the height from where she was. She turned around and proceeded to climb it down. She saw a boy running towards her, it was the same boy she saw yesterday at the supermarket. She continued to climb down until a hand grabbed her, holding her back.   
"What are you doing?" the boy asked, "This cliff is way too dangerous to climb."   
She shook his hand off and continued to climb.   
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he asked.   
She ignored him.   
"Fine," he said, getting down, "If you insist on going, I'm going with you."   
She held out her hand to stop him. She didn't need anyone getting in her way in case the Scryrithians were down there.   
"If you're going, I'm going," he said firmly.   
She glared at him. _If he wants to follow, fine, I'd like to see him try._   
She was about to continue when she felt something. A Scryrithian. One was nearby. She climbed back up the cliff.   
"Good," he said, thinking she was listening to him.   
She scanned the area, the only people nearby was the boy and the police officers. She walked up to the boy. It wasn't him.   
"Uh…what?" he asked, uncomfortable with their closeness.   
She looked back at the crime scene and started to run.   
"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?!" he shouted, going after her. 

"Hey Jones!" Officer Tierney called out, "I found something down here under the boardwalk," he said, "Come take a look at it."   
He led the officer towards the stairs when a girl came running towards him and lunged at him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He threw her off but she quickly regained herself.   
"So we meet again," he sneered, "Jones, restrain her, she's attacking an officer."   
The officer grabbed her, holding on to each arm as she struggled violently against them. Officer Tierney pulled out his gun.   
"Consider this revenge for what you did to my people," he said pointing the gun at her.   
"Hey, Mike, what are you doing?" Jones said.   
Tierney shot him in the arm and pointed it back to the girl. The gun was knocked out of the officer's hand with a kick and another kick sent him to the floor. He easily got up reaching for the gun, but Dick kicked it out of the way. The officer got up and punched Dick, knocking him over the boardwalk and unto the sand. The girl jumped on the man, slamming his head against the rail before throwing him over the rail and into the water. She was about to jump down and see if Dick was okay when she felt something behind her. She turned around and saw Jones standing there in front of her, blood running down his shirt.   
"When they told me that the Guardian was here," he said, bringing out his gun, "I didn't believe them."   
She shot a weak blast at him, enough to stun and not to injure, at the same time he shot his gun at her. She dodged the bullet but it grazed her head slightly, causing her to fall back. She fell through the wooden guardrail and off the boardwalk. Jones fell back unconscious but still alive. She groaned in pain as she looked down at the wooden stake from the guardrail impaled in her side. She braced herself and pulled it out, letting the blood flow. She looked over at the shore and saw Tierney's body out of the water.   
"He'll be okay," Dick said, walking over to her, "He's just unconscious."   
She tried to get up despite the pain.   
"Whoa there," he said, stopping her, "You're hurt."   
She shook her head, pressing on the wound to stop the blood.   
"That's bleeding way too much, we have to get you to a doctor."   
She shook her head even more violently.   
"Can you talk?" he asked softly.   
She shook her head slowly.   
Not to you at least.   
"Listen, I have to get you to a hospital or you might bleed to death."   
She shook her head again and pushed herself away from him. She looked around, she couldn't feel the presence of any Scryrithians. She'd failed…again. The blood was coming out more now, it was a dark thick red. She'd probably damaged her liver.   
"Well then let me take you somewhere where you can get some help," he said insistently, "Don't worry, it's not a hospital."   
She hesitated for a minute. She was bleeding a lot. She slowly nodded her head. She'd have to trust this guy-temporarily.   
Dick helped her out from under the boardwalk over to a pay phone.   
"Stay here," he said heading over to the pay phone to call Alfred, "I'll be right back."   
She nodded as he turned away and closed her eyes before disappearing. She never actually said she wanted any help. 

Dick dialed home and turned around to face out of the phone booth. He looked around, not expecting to find anything but feeling as though he was supposed to be doing something. He looked down at the phone and hung up. Why was he calling Alfred? He slowly walked out of the phone booth, looking confused. How did he get to a phone booth in the first place.   
__The accident on the boardwalk. The cops. What were they doing again?   
He noticed the trail of bloodstained sand and some blood on his clothes.   
__What just happened? 

The girl collapsed against the wall of the alley. She wasn't bleeding as much anymore but luckily for her she healed fast. Just one of the many perks of having superhuman powers. Although, if she didn't have these powers she wouldn't get into situations where she would be bleeding all over an alley floor. It was a double-edged sword type thing. She edged further into the alley, towards the dark corners. She'd wait here until she was well enough to continue her search. She hoped she didn't have to wait long. Time was running out. 

Leslie Thompkins made her usual rounds around the neighborhood. They'd already brought in five homeless persons suffering from severe dehydration. Three had died. She'd never seen anything like it before, not even during the worst heat wave in Gotham. She tightened the belt of her coat around her waist. It was getting cold…and dark. She decided to start heading back when she heard a loud crash up ahead. She cautiously walked up to the alley, not knowing what to expect. She peered in and spied some overturned trash cans and two dogs licking a young girl who was bleeding and unconscious.   
"Oh my God!" 

She looked around the room. It was pretty, the bed was soft. She snuggled under the covers. The bed was very soft. It'd been a long time since she was in a bed this nice. She sighed, she wish she could just fall asleep. But she couldn't, she had to leave soon. She could probably make it out the window in her condition. She'd leave a nice thank you note for them. She was so tired, her eyes could barely stay open. She heard the word "infection" being thrown around when she was brought in. She hoped it wasn't anything serious. They had already given her some drug, that was why she was tired. They were slowing her down.   
__This is all wrong…can't they see…I have to go and work…they don't even know how little time they have left…they can't make her sleep…she wouldn't let them… 

Robin tapped lightly on the doctor's office window. Dr. Thompkins looked up from her paperwork and motioned him in.   
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked as he let himself inside.   
"Hey doc," Robin said smiling, "I was wondering if you might know anything that could be of help to me."   
"Regarding what?"   
"The rash of people dying from dehydration."   
"All I know is that in the span of four days we've brought in fifteen people because of it and only four have walked out."   
"I'm wondering if there's any kind of pattern to the victims," Robin said, "Is there anything they have in common?"   
"I can't say," she said, "Some have been vagrants, homeless, mothers, fathers, children, even one of our own staff."   
"I don't understand it."   
"Neither do I," she said, getting up, "We picked up five today. Out of the two that survived, only one has woken up. He's in recovery now."   
"Could I maybe talk to him?"   
"If he's awake now I suppose," she said leading him to the patient's area. 

Robin followed Dr. Thompkins to the bed of the patient he was to see. On the way there, he passed a girl asleep in one of the bed with a pained expression on her face. Her eyes were shut tight and her whole body was tense as if she were waiting for something to happen.   
"I'll go and see if he's awake," Leslie told Robin.   
Leslie walked away as Robin stepped closer to the sleeping girl. Her beautiful face was distorted in pain as she clenched the thin sheets covering her tightly. Robin had a strange urge to reach out and comfort her but decided against it. It was just a bad dream. It would pass. 

_This mission is not going well._   
_I know._   
_Your methods are uncoordinated and amateurish._   
_I know._   
_You should have had this resolved by now._   
_I know!_   
_If you know all this, then why haven't you fixed the situation yet?_   
_It's complicated._   
_Simplify it for us._   
_I'll finish them off, you don't have to worry about that._   
_You hesitate because you don't want to kill the innocent on your planet._   
_Is that so bad?_   
_When you let yourself get sidetracked by your attachments to that world, you let them win. Is that what you want?_   
_Of course not!_   
_Then don't hesitate! You must act quickly and decisively. Time is of the essence._   
_Yes. I know._   
_You are ill._   
_I'm fine now._   
_Then wake up._   
_Let me go and I will._   
_We are finding your attitude to be increasingly disrespectful._   
_Let me go._   
_Perhaps it was unwise to allow you to return to your home planet._   
_Let me go._   
_From your sleep?_   
_From everything._   
_That's not possible._   
"Then leave me alone!" she shouted, waking up.   
Robin jumped back startled.   



	3. The Confliction

ai3 Chapter 3 

"Then leave me alone!" she shouted, waking up.   
Robin jumped back startled.   
She stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief realizing what she had just done.   
Robin's head began to swim and it was as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. Images and memories flashed in his mind in succession, each one containing the girl sitting right in front of him staring at him with the same clear bright blue eyes he had seen at the supermarket, the boardwalk, the beach and now here.   
"Who are you?" he asked slowly, his mind still not comprehending what exactly was taking place, "I know you, don't I?"   
She shook her head before jumping out of the bed.   
"Hey, wait," he said, blocking her way, "You're not going anywhere."   
"What's going on?" Dr. Thompkins asked, walking over to them.   
The girl pushed the doctor aside and ran away.   
"Who was that?" Dr. Thompkins asked.   
"You mean you don't know?"   
"I've never seen her before," Leslie said, picking up the girl's chart, "It says here that she was a GSW brought in a few hours ago. She had an infection from her wound and a fever."   
"She wasn't shot," Robin said quietly, remembering her fall on the pier earlier that day.   
"That's odd."   
"What?" Robin asked turning to Leslie.   
"Oh," Leslie said looking up, "I was just wondering why I was looking at this chart." 

_Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Okay, that's enough._   
She stopped pacing, mostly because she was receiving strange looks from the people on the street. She screwed up, real big. Not only was she not any closer to finding the nest but now someone had heard her speak. This was bad, this was very bad. He would remember her from last night and could ruin everything.   
_Dammit! This is all my fault. I was sloppy. Careless!_   
She looked around the street in resolve. From now on, no mistakes, no mishaps. No mercy. She didn't have the luxury anymore to discriminate between good and bad. First she'd take down the Scryrithians. Then, she'd have to kill that boy. 

"So how's everything going?"   
"Fine," Robin said, rolling his eyes, "Gotham hasn't fallen apart if that's what you're asking."   
"I didn't say that," Bruce said over the speaker phone, "I just wanted to-"   
"Check up on me?" Robin finished, "It's okay Bruce, you can admit. I'm not surprised, you wouldn't be you if you didn't."   
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," Bruce said. Robin couldn't see his face but he was sure that his mentor was smiling.   
"I'll be fine," Robin assured him, "To tell you the truth. Aside from a few incidents, it's been pretty quiet around here." 

The girl chased the man down an alley, tackling him to the ground. She turned him over pulled out a gun and sprayed him. He screamed as the semi-transparent blob oozed out of his ear.   
"It's called a water gun," she said, tossing it aside, "You like?"   
"What do you want from us?" it asked, oozing slowly away from her.   
"Your nest," she said, "The location of the rest."   
"Never."   
"If not from you," she said, blasting it against the wall until it disintegrated, "I'll get it from someone else."   
She looked down at the unconscious man, his breathing was very shallow. He was lucky though, he would live, more like him would die. There was more than she anticipated. Why did they send her to do this alone? There were too many of them, she wasn't even sure if they were only in Gotham. She couldn't just take them down one by one. She had to find the nest and fast.   
"Didn't your mother ever tell you that you shouldn't walk around the streets at night," a voice said behind her.   
She turned around and saw four men approaching her with tattoos and sardonic smiles on their faces. She didn't even want to know what they were thinking. 

Robin made his usual rounds, the night had been like the last, relatively quiet. He landed on one of the gargoyle's heads of the Gotham Bank building, surveying the city.   
_I guess criminals don't think I'm worth breaking the law for._   
Suddenly he heard faint screams coming from afar.   
_Then again…_

She threw another one against the wall.   
"What are you on steroids, kid," the last man standing asked, pulling out a knife.   
The girl backed up, she didn't have the time to waste on these losers. As empowering as it was to fight people who didn't have a chance against her, she had better things to do. He slashed at her with the knife and she easily dodged it, grabbed his wrist and twisting the knife from it. She twisted his arm behind his back and slammed his head against the wall, leaving him to fall to the ground unconscious.   
"Who are you?"   
She turned around to see the masked boy from the boardwalk standing there. The masked boy who knew who she was.   
"You did all this?" he asked, surveying the five bodies on the floor.   
"Oh, only four of them," she said coldly.   
"So was the fifth one just scared unconscious?"   
She remembered the man who had been taken over by the Scryrithian and that he needed medical attention quickly. She looked up just in time to see one of the thugs holding a lead pipe that was about to connect with Robin's head.   
"Look out!" she shouted instinctively.   
He turned around instantly and in one fluid motion, ducked out of the way and pulled out a Batarang, throwing it at the man. At the same time, a white blast of energy shot out from the side, hitting the man squarely in the chest so hard that it sent him flying out of the alley into the street, his lifeless body scraping across the pavement.   
"What are you doing?!" Robin yelled, "You could have killed him!"   
"Hopefully."   
"You're really something," he said with disgust, "Who are you and what do you have to do with all the strange occurrences going on lately?"   
"What strange occurrences?" she asked looking at him strangely.   
"The rash of people dying from severe dehydration, the explosion at the boardwalk, those cops that went psycho-"   
"How'd you know about that?" she asked, looking at him more closely.   
"What?"   
She smiled, "Well, well, well," she said smugly, "If it isn't my beach boy friend. Looks like I won't have much of a problem after all."   
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked worriedly.   
"Go home kid before you get hurt," she said, turning to walk away, "I'll deal with you later."   
"You're not leaving until I get some answers," he said grabbing her arm.   
She broke loose of him and slammed him up against the wall, "Listen up because this is the last time we're going to talk. Your job until I leave is to stay out of my way. Is that understood?"   
"I don't take orders from anyone," Robin said determinedly.   
"Well maybe you'll be more cooperative if I ripped your head off with my bare hands," she said, letting go of him, "Or maybe I should go after Bruce or Alfred."   
Robin used the wall as a springboard to kick her in the solar plexus. She doubled over and tripped over the leg of one of the unconscious men.   
"No one ever threatens my family," he growled in a low scary tone.   
"How cute," she said sardonically. Her gaze fell on the man wheezing for air. He pale emaciated face heaved as if every breath would be his last.   
"He needs help," she said racing over to the man.   
"What are you doing?" Robin asked confused.   
Before he could receive an answer, she took the dying man in her arms and disappeared. 

"Master Dick? Master Dick?"   
"Huh?" he murmured distracted.   
"I take it you're not working on a biology project for school," Alfred said watching Dick engrossed with the microscope.   
"This isn't for school, Alfred," Dick said, "I'm analyzing a sample of…something. I found it in that alley where I met up with that mystery girl."   
"An alley you say?" Alfred asked, getting the newspaper.   
"Yeah, why?"   
Alfred handed him the newspaper. Dick quickly read the article about the five men found in the alley. One was taken to the hospital due to severe dehydration. The other four were suffering from lacerations, bruises and concussions.   
"This was her," he said, pointing to the article.   
"Do you think this girl is behind the rash of dehydration attacks?"   
"I don't know, she can't be older than I am," he said, "But it's the only lead I have. I have to follow up on it. Well that," he turned back to the microscope, "And this."   
"What exactly is it?"   
"That's the thing," Dick said looking up again, "I have no idea. I've looked through every book and medical file, it's unlike any life form anyone's ever seen before. Frankly I don't think-"   
"What?"   
"I think it's alien." 

After changing into another pair of clothes and a shower from the hospital, she felt refreshed. She was ready and by tonight, she would guarantee that she would have that alien nest destroyed. Now she'd just have to find the perfect place to wait. She noticed a large crowd gathering.   
_What are they talking about_, she wondered, going to join the crowd. She looked up and saw a man climbing a tower. A water tower. 

"When I find out who that girl was, Alfred," Dick said, angrily tearing into his breakfast, "I'll-"   
"Not rant and rave with a mouth full of food?"   
"Sorry," he mumbled, swallowing his food, "But…what's that noise?" he asked looking around.   
"Oh yes," Alfred said, walking into the living room, "I left the television on."   
Dick followed him in as they witnessed the scene on the news.   
"It seems that there's a man climbing the water tower. He's had some close calls where he's slipped but he's fine now and is continuing his climb up the tower. The identity of this man and his motives for climbing the tower are unknown. It is not certain as of yet that he is planning to jump off but…"   
Dick fazed out the voice of the reporter and he tried to get a better look of the man climbing the tower. That is, until the camera cut to the crowd and he caught sight of a familiar blonde.   
"That's her!" he shouted pointing the screen, even though the focus was back on the climber, "That's the girl, she's there," he ran out of the living room, "Come on. If that's where she is, then I'm going there to."   
Alfred followed him out of the living room, not noticing the static on the television screen followed by the "Technical Difficulties" screen. 

The girl walked out from behind the camera crews.   
"Hey, what's going on?" a cameraman shouted, picking up a frayed wire.   
She shuffled her way through the crowd, picking up speed once she broke through. Without hesitation she ran straight for the water tower. She had to hurry, he was almost there. 

Arnold Palmer adjusted his glasses. He'd climbed the last few rungs of the ladder. He could practically feel the water on his fingertips. It was becoming difficult just to hold on, he was so weak, almost completely drained. He grazed his trembling hand over the cover to the water tower, stopping at the edge to pry it off.   
"Finding food to feed your family?"   
He slowly turned around. That voice. She was standing there at the bottom.   
"No," he said, struggling to pry the cover off, "I'm so close. So close!" He began to pound the top, denting it.   
She quickly climbed up the tower.   
It could feel the pain in the human's emaciated hand, as Arnold pounded more furiously. He was too weak, he need to be stronger. He needed the water. He looked down. She was too fast. His fist finally broke through. It was just within his reach until she grabbed his leg, pulling him away. He could feel himself moving farther away from the water, his life-blood, until he hit the ground.   
She jumped down, "Weak are we?" she asked approaching him, "It can't help being out in this hot sun."   
Arnold was dizzy. Weak. No! He had to get away.   
"You won't harm this human body," he said.   
"Is that what they told you?" she asked, picking him up by the neck, "Because if it is. They lied." She held him over the ledge of the building.   
"You're bluffing!" he shouted fearfully, "You won't take a human life. An innocent."   
"Look in a mirror," she said, throwing him aside, hard on the ground, "The body's almost completely dehydrated. The man's already dead. You're all alone now."   
She held out her hand and blasted at him, but the blast missed its target as Robin collided with her, sending them both to the ground. Arnold quickly got up, jumping off of the roof. The girl got up and looked around the roof for him. Gone. She ran to the ledge and saw him trying to get away. Taking a flying leap off the roof, she landed on her feet not far from him and pursued him on foot with Robin close behind. Arnold ran towards the building under the tower. Before he could turn the knob on the door, he was completely disintegrated. The girl ran to the door to make sure there were no traces of the Scryrithian left. There were no traces of Arnold left. She sighed and didn't even have enough time to react to the rope that wrapped around her legs and pulled her down. She looked up and saw Robin with his hands on the controlling end of the rope.   
"You'd have to be either crazy or stupid to kill a man in broad daylight," he said.   
She glowered at him and fired a pencil-thin blast at the rope, cutting it off from his grasp.   
"I didn't kill any man," she said calmly, taking the rope off her legs.   
"Are you saying I'm seeing things. You're the same girl I saw last night. The one who threatened to kill me. Or was I just imagining that too?"   
She shrugged and then disappeared out of the rope, reappearing a few feet away from him.   
I hate it when she does that.   
"Who are you?" he asked.   
"Just go," she said, walking away.   
"Not until I get some answers."   
She grabbed him and threw him to the floor, sitting on top of him, "Don't you understand how easily I could kill you?"   
"I don't think you will," he said firmly.   
"You know who I am."   
"Well I know I saw you last night in the alley with those five unconscious men who all ended up in the hospital," he said, "And then I saw just decimate another man. Literally."   
"He wasn't a man," she said, getting up.   
"What do you mean?"   
"He wasn't a man anymore," she said, "He was already dead. I just killed the thing inside him."   
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, walking up to her, "Does this have anything to do with all those people dying of sudden dehydration."   
"Even if I could tell you, you wouldn't believe me," she said quietly.   
"Try me," he said, "I've seen a lot of unbelievable things. Like you for one. You're an alien, right?"   
She laughed, "Yeah that's right, you've got it all figured out," she walked away from him, "Listen, just go home and don't get in my way again, got it?"   
"Sorry but it doesn't work like that," he said angrily crossing his arms, "You have a lot to answer to."   
"I don't have to answer anything to anyone!" she shot back, "Especially not you. Now go back to the Batcave, Dick, before you get in real trouble."   



	4. The Exposition

ALIEN INVASION: The Exposition 

Sorry it's taken so long for this to come out, what can I say-I'm lazy.  Part 5 will be out much sooner, probably in a few days so check back.  I hope you enjoy it.  

-Nikira

"Perhaps you should keep a clear head, Master Dick," Alfred suggested calmly, "There's no need to get flustered."

"No need?!" Dick shouted, "There's a dangerous girl out there with superhuman capabilities and the ability to shoot pure energy from her fingertips who knows my real identity and you're telling me that there's no need to get flustered!  When should I get flustered?!  When she breaks into the Batcave and destroys the place and us along with it?!  Or maybe when Bruce gets back tomorrow and finds out that I've single-handedly ruined everything?!  I'd say now is a very good time to be flustered!"

He took a deep breath and slumped down in the chair in front of the computer.  He was dead.  

"I don't suppose you've read Niccholo Machiavelli's The Prince?" Alfred asked.

"I don't think that was on the reading list this year in school," he said sarcastically, burying his face in his hands.

"One of the most famous Machiavellian principles is to know thy enemy," Alfred continued.

"I do know her," he said looking up, "I just told you.  Superhuman strength, dangerous, energy from the fingertips."

"Yes, I remember," Alfred said drolly, "But perhaps you need to understand her more than know her abilities."

"You mean like who she is and what she's doing in Gotham?"

"You might find that things aren't as they seem," Alfred said, "There might be more to the situation that you can't see."

"Okay," Dick said, turning to the computer, "So, who is she?  Well, I don't know, she could be an alien or a metahuman.  What's she doing in Gotham?  I know it has something to do with this virus going around, the one that leaves people dehydrated.  She surfaced around the same time it did."

"When were the first reports of the victims?"

He accessed the files on the computer, "Uh…three days ago.  A family of beachgoers on their way home.  The driver passed out and they caused a four-car pile up.  Hours later, an elderly man was found on the beach, dead from severe dehydration.  The two people on the boardwalk Friday night and an officer who was there the next day was also reported to be severely dehydrated."

"So this all started at the beach."

"Most of them," he said, scanning the computer, "The rest are in areas not too far from it.  If that's where this so-called virus started, then that's where she might be and that's where I'm going."

His attention suddenly shifted to the red light blinking near the phone console.  Someone was calling the manor.  

Alfred, seeing it as well, moved towards it, "Allow me," he said, pressing the voice button, "Wayne Manor, how may I help you."

"Alfred, yes, it's Leslie."

"Ah, Doctor Thompkins," Alfred said with a friendly demeanor, "And how are you this morning."

"Fine, I don't suppose Dick is downstairs, is he?" she said hurriedly, emphasizing her words.

Both Alfred and Dick understood her implications.  Alfred switched the console over to the Batcave connection.  

"Is there something wrong, Dr. Thompkins," noticing the strange tone and urgency of her voice.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure," she said, "I got the charts on the patient you had mentioned earlier, a Jane Doe who was admitted yesterday for lacerations and a gunshot wound.  There was no record of her ever coming to the clinic and none of her leaving.  I've asked around and no one remembers seeing anyone of the description your gave on the day you mentioned."

That's not surprising, Dick thought to himself.

"But whoever this mystery girl is," the doctor continued, "She's in a lot of danger.  I studied her charts and X-rays and the prognosis isn't very good."

"What do you mean?" Dick asked, his interest piqued.

"The X-rays showed intense muscle damage and her blood test were so low on iron, they were way past the anemic level.  I'm shocked she was even alive when the tests were taken.  Not to mention the abnormalities in her blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic functions."

"What are you saying, Dr. Thompkins?"

"She's dying.  Her body, for some unknown reason, is breaking down, eating itself alive, at a very rapid pace.  If she is in fact alive still, she doesn't have much longer to go."

"You okay, kid?" a burly middle-aged man asked, looking at the young girl slumped against the apartment building with some concern, "You don't look so good."

She nodded her head in response, holding up her hand as to assure him of her well-being.  Gathering her strength, she moved away from the building and walked down the street, she didn't blame them, the strange looks she was getting from everyone she passed.  She could imagine what she looked like-hell.  That was exactly what she had been through, for the fifth time that day.

She had never intended to read the boy's thoughts, nor had she meant to absorb any of them.  Yet at the brief moment when she thought she could enter his mind and erase any memory he had of her, she had tapped into something else-a part of him that was not meant to be touched.  It had happened so quickly, there was no time to stop it and she barely felt anything.  But that was then.  Shortly afterwards, the first of them came.  Spasms of Dick Grayson's memories and wracked her mind and arrested her whole body for short periods of time.  And yet, it was not just the memories, they were so vivid, she could feel the emotions running through her as if they were her own.  The joy of scoring the winning goal at his first soccer game, looking up to see Bruce cheering along with everyone else.  The exhilarating rush of soaring through the night sky as Robin.  The nervous pit in his stomach he got when a girl like Barbara Gordon would smile at him.  And then, there was the pain.  The terror he felt after Two-Face knocked him off the roof of the building, the physical pain of actually hitting the ground.  The shame and anger whenever Bruce yelled at him for being careless or just, not perfect.  The pain and the loss…so intense, so heartbreaking…O God, Mom and Dad!  My parents.

No! she chastised herself, shaking her head of the troubling thoughts, Not my parents, they're his.  His parents.  His pain.

She had to distance herself from him, separate her mind from the piece of his that had entered hers.  She put a weak hand to her head, as if that would quell the sharp pain that hammered away mercilessly.  She would have to stop using her borrowed powers, they was killing her.  The pain was almost intolerable.  But she would tolerate.  She had to.  She looked up at the sign in front of her.  The beach.  Soon it would be over.

Robin hit the bottom of the flashlight against his leg.  He should have checked the batteries before leaving.  Another careless mistake.  Nevertheless, he had to go on.  The footprints leading into the cave led him to believe he was on the right track.  Or some track at least.  

She stood there quietly, motionless, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark.  There was no sound except for that of the echoes of crumbling rock and soil.  She could feel them; they were here, all of them.  She walked deeper into the cave, farther away from the light.  

Robin stopped as his flashlight gave once last heroic effort of light before dying out, leaving him alone in the pitch-black cave.  

Great, he muttered.

"Okay," he said, putting the flashlight back in his belt, "I spent practically all of junior high in a cave.  This shouldn't be a problem."

His eyes quickly adjusted to the complete darkness, a skill he picked up from his mentor and he was able to make his way along with little trouble, though he was going at a much slower pace than he would have liked.  The further he went into the cave, the darker and wetter it became.  

Dark and damp, there must be a water source down here, which goes along with my theory.

He heard loud crashing noises, as the whole cave seemed to shake.  

What's going on in there, he wondered stepping up his pace into a run.  

Bits of rock and dust sprinkled down from the cave ceiling, as the noises got louder.  As he proceeded, groping his way along, flashes of light, getting brighter with each step he took, illuminated the cave.  The rumbling grew louder as the rocks falling became larger and the dust coated his hair.  

This whole place is coming down! 

Suddenly he saw someone running in his opposite direction.  Not surprisingly, it was her.

He wanted to find out what was going on but knew that right now it was best to get out as quickly as possible.  He turned in the same direction she was running and headed for the cave opening.  She quickly caught up to him, grabbing him before disappearing.

They rolled down the slight incline outside the cave before settling into the valley of sand near the shoreline, watching the cave collapse, sealing itself with a wall of rocks.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my way?" she asked getting up.

"Yeah," Robin said, dusting the sand off, "So?"

"So, you almost got yourself killed, you idiot!" she yelled.

"Oh, so suddenly, you care about my safety?" he shot back.

She didn't reply, only sighed.

"So what did you just do back there?" he asked, pointing to the cave, which had now been mostly sealed off with collapsed rocks.

"Don't worry about it," she said curtly.

She looked down at the timepiece device on her wrist.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing's happening," she said, more to herself than to answer his question.

"What's supposed to happen?"

She looked around the beach, "It's not over."

"What's wrong now?"

"I don't know, there must be some strays left, still wandering around the city," she said. "Stray what?!" he exclaimed exacerbated.

"I don't have time to answer your questions, Dick," she said, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Don't you ever get tired?" he asked.

"All the time," she said sincerely, looking up at the dark sky.  She sighed and sat down on the sand.

Robin looked at her.  The way she spoke, the manner in which she seemed to walk around the city with an air of familiarity.  She seemed human, like just another regular teenage girl-who had lived life at least five times over.  In some ways, he could relate.  He sat down near her.

"How did you know who I am?" he asked.

"I read your mind.  Accidentally."

"Who are you?"

She turned to him, "Who do you think I am?  An alien?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "Frankly I have no idea what's going on.  But I have some theories."

"Oh yeah?"

"In the alley last night, I found a sample of a specimen that not from this world.  When I tested its reaction to certain conditions I noticed that the most favorable to water.  It completely soaked it up and then went seeking more.  It's a symbiote, isn't it?"

 "No, it's a Scryrithian."

"A what?"

"Scryrithians. They're an endangered alien race of advanced single-cellular parasitical organisms.  They live off fresh water.  They don't have a planet of their own, they just travel from one to another, sucking all the resources from it until there's nothing left.  Once they've used up a planet, they go on to the next one."

"And Earth is next up on the list?"

"Not exactly," she explained, "Most of the race was destroyed on the last planet they attacked but some got away.  The inhabitants of that planet are a friendly bunch called the Arhtfax, a warrior race of filthy belligerent monsters who like to destroy.  A lot.  They hunted the Scryrithians all over several galaxies for revenge, destroying whole planets in their path.  The Scryrithians in their desperate attempt to flee somehow ended up here.  I don't think their main destination was Earth, they must have gotten sidetracked or their ship crashed.  Earth doesn't have enough fresh water to suffice.  The Scryrithians have taken to using human bodies not only as vessels to get around but as food.  The human body is seventy-percent water after all."

"That explains all the people dying from dehydration."

"What they don't know is that the Arhtfax are aware of their location and are currently on their way here to destroy this planet.  I came here to destroy the Scryrithians before the Arhtfax could get to them.  They'll be here in about seven hours."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, now that the Scryrith nest is destroyed, the Arhtfax have will have no trace to follow and no planet to destroy."

"You just said they get their kicks out of destruction," Robin reminded her, "How do you know they won't come here just for the heck of it."

"They know we wouldn't let that happen."

"We? You mean there's more of you?"

"Four more."

"So you guys are like alien hunters?"

She smiled.  It was a sincere smile.  She was beautiful with that smile.  "Something like that," she said, getting up, "To a more monumental degree."

"And that guy at the water tower and the guys in the alley.  They were all people who had Scryrithians in them?"

"A few, the others just got on my nerves," she shrugged, "I don't just go around killing people.  The one on the tower was already dead and the others….it's what I have to do."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Dick asked perplexed, "You wouldn't even talk to me before."

She looked at him, "I know you're a good person and you would keep this to yourself.  I mean, you're no stranger to secret identities after all."

He smiled, "How can you be so sure I wouldn't tell?"

She tapped his the side of his head, "I took a peek inside remember."

He looked seriously, "So you know everything.  Who I am, about Bruce and Alfred?  How much did you see?"

Too much, she thought to herself.

"Not much," she said, "I wasn't actually trying to read your mind, I was trying to erase your memory of me.  You've heard my voice."

"What's the big deal if I've heard you?"

"You don't know how big of a deal it is," she said seriously, "We have this thing, a special power that we all share.  We're completely forgettable; we pass right through your minds.  No matter how many times you see us, you'll never remember who we are.  As long as you don't hear us speak.  Once you do…"

"I'll remember all the times I've met you before."

"And you'll be able to recognize me and retain any memory of me."

"But why is that a bad thing?"

"There are a lot of lives that are dependent on mine.  More than you can even count.  If anyone were to find out who I am-Why should I explain this to you?  You should know why."

"Well yeah, I have to hide my identity too, but not to your extreme.   I can speak at least," he said, "What do you do that's so important?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"You wouldn't understand because sometimes I don't even understand it," she said testily, "Sometimes it's just better to follow orders and not question what you're doing."

"You're human, aren't you?"

She turned to him, surprised, "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, it's just a feeling."

"I am," she said silently.

"But yet, your medical charts at the clinic are anything but, by all accounts you should be dead."

"By all accounts I died three years ago.  At least by my accounts," she said, "I have a human body, yes, and I was born of human parents but that's about as far as it goes."

"Where did you get your powers?"

"It's a long story I don't really have the time to get into right now," she said getting up, "I'm wasting time," she turned to him, her demeanor suddenly softening, "You won't understand what I'm saying, right now and hopefully you won't remember it," she took a step closer to him, "It wasn't your fault.  You could have never known what he was going to do, you couldn't have stopped it."

"What?"

"They would be so proud of you if they saw what you've grown up to be," she smiled warmly, putting her hands to his face.

Warmth suddenly crept up on Robin, spreading all over his body, and not that of the feeling of being so close to a pretty girl but something else, something so comforting, the feeling of being having someone truly understand everything that you are.  He smiled and then his face froze as her hands gripped the sides of his head and an intense pain shot through his whole body.  It was like nothing he had ever felt before and as soon as it came to him, it left, leaving him unconscious, his body lying unmoving on the shore.


End file.
